Archive for the ‘children. infants’ Category

Traces of melamine are found in American baby formula. The industrial chemical used to make plastics boosts the appearance of protein in food, but if ingested, can cause kidney stones — which are especially dangerous to infants. The FDA says that the amount found in the U.S. formula is too small to pose a health hazard.

“The levels that we are detecting are extremely low,” said Dr. Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. “They should not be changing the diet. If they’ve been feeding a particular product, they should continue to feed that product. That’s in the best interest of the baby.”

Melamine is the chemical found in Chinese infant formula — in far larger concentrations — that has been blamed for killing at least three babies and making at least 50,000 others ill.
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Previously undisclosed tests, obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act, show that the FDA has detected melamine in a sample of one popular formula and the presence of cyanuric acid, a chemical relative of melamine, in the formula of a second manufacturer.